At 7:43:00 a.m EDT, from Complex 41, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
lifted off today. The MRO is NASA's next mission to Mars and is
expected to return more data than all past Mars missions combined. The
orbiter has a 13-month journey ahead of it (7 months cruise and 6
months of aerobraking). The orbiter will return close-up photography,
analyze minerals, look for subsurface water, trace how much dust and
water are distributed in the atmosphere, and monitor daily global
weather. The camera on the MRO has about 1m resolutions, much greater
than any other orbiter. The MRO will also be the first craft in the
"interplanetary Internet." This will allow a network or relays for
other craft to use to communicate with Earth. It will also test Ka-band
radio. This might allow it to use less power and have greater
performance than previous radios. Godspeed to the orbiter and its team.